132 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Working with saved settings subsets. Often, I need to apply more individualized settings to each image, so one of the first things I did when I first started working with Camera Raw was to save subsets of settings that I could apply to images. In addition to creating Calibrate settings, I've created saved settings for exposure adjustments in 0.25 - stop increments, and Brightness and Contrast adjustments in increments of 10 units-see Figure 4 - 21. I've played with savingwhite Balance adjustments, but thus far I've found them less useful because I usually need to adjust the Tem - perature andTint controls interactively. But I almost invariably shoot with available light. If you shoot in the studio under controlled lighting, you may find it worthwhile to save White Balance settings too. See "Saving Settings" in Chapter 3, Using Camera Raw. Figure 4 - 21 Working with saved8ettinga Ihese settings areall saved as presets in Camera Raw's Presets folder. Each one updates a single parameter, Exposure, Brightness, or Contrast. Obviously there's a trade - off between the number of settings you save and the ease with which you can find and apply them. If you create hun - dreds of subsets, your Camera Raw Settings menu will become very long and unmanageable. After you've spent some time applying settings from the Fie Browser, it should be apparent which settings are really useful to you and exactly what trade - off you need to make between the number of saved settings and the usability of the Camera Raw Settings menu. The key to being productive when applying subsets is to apply them to all the images that need them simultaneous^, which boils down to selecting Chapter 4: The File Browser 133 images that all need the same (orverysimilar) treatment. For example, Imay look for all the images that need a +0.25-stop exposure boost, then for the ones that need a half - stop, and so on. The image thumbnails and previews update to reflect the new settings, so checking the preview at a reasonably large size gives me a good idea of their effect. Opening images. Once you've applied settings to an image or images, you can open them and bypass the Camera Raw dialog boxby Shift-double- clicking. (If you're opening multiple images, Shift - double - click on the last one; otherwise you'll just change the selection.) Add Option if you also want to close the File Browser. Camera Raw then processes the images using their assigned settings and opens the converted images in Photoshop. However, ifI'm dealingwith more than a handful of images, I almost invariably run a batch process instead, by choosing Batch from the File Bmwser's Automate menu+ee Figure 4 - 22. Figure 4 - 22 Sat& dialog baa This batch process conwrts the select& images using each image's individual sem'ngs. It then calls an action that sharpens, adds an adjust - ment Lryer, and saws the layeredfile as a TlEE addinga four-digit serial number to the original document name. 134 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Using Batch. The Batch feature lets you process images with CameraRaw and, optionally, rename and save them to a different location, wh'ie also applying an action. Includiig an action in the batch allows for tremendous flexibility in automating different tasks. For example, I use one action to batch the creation of 1,024 - pixel JPEGs and another to save 16 - bitlchannel TIFFS with adjustment layers included ready for editing, using Zip compres - sion to save storage space. Aaions like these save me hours of repetitive grunt work, which is after all what computers are supposed to do. There are, however, a few stumbling blocks that can trip you up when you first try to implement this kind of automation. b If you want the batch process to save the images in a specific format, you need to record the saving steps as part of the action you'll call for the batch. b If you want to bypass the Camera Raw interface when you run the batch, you must check Suppress Fie Open Options Dialogs in the Batch dialog box (see Figure 4 - 22). It's probably a good idea to check Suppress Color Profile Warnings too, just in case your working space isn't set the way you thought it was. (It's always frustrating to start a batch process, go for lunch, then come back to find that the Profile Mismatch warning for the first image is sitting on the screen waiting for input.) b If your action included a save, you must check Override Action " Save As " Commands. Otherwise the batch will try to save each file under the name you used for the save when you recorded the action, and it will stop on the second image when Photoshop asks you if you want to replace the previous image of the same name. Figure 4 - 23 shows the two aforementioned actions, one for creating JPEGs that are converted to sRGB after the sharpening and resizing have been carried out on the 16-bitlchannel ProPhoto RGB file, and another that prepares images for final editing in Photoshop by adding adjustment layers set to Multiply, Screen, and Overlay, and named Darken, Lighten, and Contrast, respectively. The action turns off the layers'visibility so that when I open the image, I see it with no adjustments - - that way it's easy for me to decide what it needs, turn on the appropriate layers, and tweak their opacities to get the desired effect. I'll look at actions, batch process - ing, and other automation features in much more detail in Chapter 7, ExploitingAutomation. Figure 4 - 23 Useful actlo118 Chapter .: The File Browser 135 This action, when included in a batch, opens the raw imageand conmen3 it m a 16-bitlchannel RGB image using the assigned Gzmem Raw sem'ngs. It then adds a Cum adjustment layer (with no cum adjustment applied) set to Multiply, rams the layer as"Darken,"and hides it. Itadds two more such layers, one set to Screen and named Zighten,"another set m Overlay and named "Contrast." Finally, it saw the image as a 16-bitlchannel TIFE with Z[P compression applied to both the image and the layers. When I open the file, it's ready@rediting mWIthout my having to do thegrunt work ofadding the Lryers and setling the blending modes. This action when included in a batch, opens the mw imageand converts it ton 16-bitlchannel RGB image using the assigned Cam - era Raw settings. It then applies Pixel Genius's PhotoKit Gzphm Sharpener, doumsizes the image to 1,024-pireI width, sets the molu- tion to 72 ppi, mnm the image to sRGB, downsamples to 8 bitsl channel, and saw the result as a IPEG with a quality of 10. 136 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS It's Smart to Be Lazy Any way you slice it, shooting digital virtually guarantees that you'll spend more time in front of the computer and less time behind the lens. But the power of automation is there to let you make sure that when you aresitting in front of the computer, you're doing so because your critical judgment is required. Digital capture involves processing masses of data - the files them - selves may be smaller than film scans, but you'll almost certainly have to deal with a lot more of them. One of the great things about computers is that once you've figured out how to make the computer do something, you can make it do that something over and over again. So if you find yourself doing the same thiigs to images over and over again, you can save yourself a great deal of work by teaching Photoshop how to do them for you. That way, you can concentrate on the exciting stuff. 1'11 look at automation in detail in Chapter 7, ExploitingAutomution. But first, I'll take a step back and look at the bigger picture as I build a workflow from start to finish in the next chapter, It's AlZAbout the Workflow. It's All ) Aboutthe Workflow That's Flow, Not Slow In the previous two chapters, I've shown you how to drive Camera Raw and the Fie Browser in detail (some might say excruciating detail). But knowing what buttons to push to get the desired result just means you know how to do the work. To turn that understanding into a practical workflow, you need to understand and optimize each part of the process. So in this chapter, I'll look at some important details, but I'U put them in the context of the big picture. There are four basic stages in a raw workflow. You may revisit some of them going back and looking at the initial rejects, or processing the images to Werent kinds of output file - - but everything you do falls into one of four stages. b You start by copying the raw images to the computer. b You point the File Browser at the newly copied images and let it cache the thumbnails, previews, and metadata. b You work with the images in the File Browser, selecting, sorting, applying metadata, and editing with Camera Raw. b You process the raw images to output files. 138 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS In this chapter, I'll look at all four stages of the workflow, but the major emphasis is on the work you do in the File Browser, because the File Browser really is command central for an efficient raw workflow. The File Browser The File Browser lets you make your initial selects, add copyright and keyword metadata, sort your images in the order you want, rename them to reflect that order, and apply Camera Raw settings that get the most out of the capture. By far the most efficient way to convert the raw files to output files is to do so as a batch, using the selected images in the Fie Browser as a source. Once you've completed your workin the Fie Browser, it's trivial to produce dierent versions of your images for diierent purposes-low-res JPEGs for web or email, higher - res JPEGs orweb photo galleries for client review, or 16-bit high-res images delivered into Pbotoshop for final polishing prior to final delivery. But you need to do the workin the Fie Browser first, and since it forms the basis for just about everything else you do, it's important to understand just howthat workgets saved and store by Photoshop. Solet me state, very clearly, what information each of these key components stores. b Image thumbnails, previews, flagging, ranking, rotation, and sort order are stored in the File Browser cache. b AU the other information about your images - keywords, and every - thing that appears in the Metadata paletteis stored in the sidecar .xmp file, with the possible exception of Camera Raw settings.You can choose whether to store these in the sidecar .xmp or in the Camera Raw database. I recommend storing them in the sidecar .xmp files for reasons that will become apparent later in this chapter. Understanding how to handle the Fie Browser cache and the sidecar .xmp files is key to building an efficient workflow. Without this under - standing, you're liable to wind up cursing as you redo work you thought you'd already completed. So I'll be referring to the cache and the .xmp files throughout the chapter. Chapter 5: It's All About the Workflow 139 The litst order of business, though, is to transfer your raw images safely to the computer so that you can begin working with them. So I'll start by looking at the very litst stage of the worktlow getting your images off the camera storage media and onto your hard drive - - because mistakes made there can wreck your entire day's shoot. Storing and Transferring Raw Images The workflow starts with your in - camera storage media, typically but not invariably Compact Flash '@pe I or 11. Transferring your images from the camera to the computer is one of the most critical, yet often one of the least examined, stages of your workflow. The following ground rules have stood me in good stead for several years I've had my share of equipment problems, but thus far, I've yet to lose a single image. b Don't use the camera as a card reader. Most cameras will let you con - nect them to the computer and download your images, but doing so is a bad idea for at least two reasons. Cameras are typically very slow as card readers, and when the camera is being used as a card reader, you can't shoot with it. r Never open images directly from the camera media. b Don't rely on just one copy of the imagecalways copy them to two separate drives before you start working. b Don't erase your images from the camera media until you've verified the copies see " Verifying Images, " later in this chapter. b Always format the cards in the camera in which they will be shot, never in the computer. Following these rules may take a Little additional time up front, but they will save you time in the long run. Camera Media and Speed AU CF cards are not created equal, but vendor designations lie 4x, 24x, 40x, Ultra, and Write Accelerated aren't terribly reliable guides as to the performance you'll get with your personal setup. 140 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS There are two distinctly different aspects to CF card speed. b Your burst shooting rate is dictated by the speed with which the CF card writes images in the camera. b Your image offloading speed is dictated by the speed with which im - ages can be read from the CF card onto your computer's hard disk. In either case, the bottleneckmay be the CF Card, or it may be the hard - ware used to write to it (your camera) or read from it (your card reader). Compact Flash write speed. Most of today's high - speed CF cards can write data as fast as the camera can send it. However, older cameras may not be able to deliver the data fast enough to justify the premium prices the fastest cards command. One good source of comparative data on different cameras' write speeds to different cards can be found on Rob Galbraith's web site, www. robgalbraith.com-look for the CF Databaselink on the front page. Note that the database no longer gets updated for some older cameras, so if the notes say something to the effect of " this camera will benefit from the fastest card available, " look in the table to check which card that actually was and when that page was last updated. Compact Flash read speed. The card reader and even the operating system can play an equal role in determining read speed to that of the card itself. Card readers almost invariably use one of three interfaces: USB 1.1, USB 2.0, or FireWire. Almost any card available today can max out the speed of a USB 1.1 reader. In theory, USB 2.0 is faster than FireWire, but in practice, as the EPA says, " your mileage may vary " - I've generally found Firewire to be both faster and more reliable than USB 2.0, particularly with fast cards such as the SanDisk Ultra I1 and Extreme and the Lexar 40x product lines. Mac OS X users should take note that OS X versions prior to Panther (0s 10.3) were very slow at reading 2GB and larger cards that use FAT - 32 formatting. Panther fixed the problem. Microdrives. In addition to solid - state Compact Flash cards, micro- drives - - miniature hard disks in Compact Flash form factor - are also available. Microdrives were introduced when solid - state CF cards were still quite limited in both speed and capacity. Chapter 5: It's All About the Workflow 141 Today, solid-state CF cards have outstripped microdrives in both ca- paw& speed, and they also have enormous advantages in durability. Like allhard drives, microdrives use moving parts machined to very line tolerances, so they don't respond well to impacts - it's easy to destroy both the data and the drive itselfbydropping it. Solid - state CF cards are a great deal more robust - while I don't recommend abusing them in any way, I have one that survived being run over by a Ford Explorer! Basically, microdrives seemed like a good idea at the time, but you're much better off using today's fast solid - state CF cards - you can keep the microdrives around for emergencies. Secure Digital (SD) cards. Ifmicrodrives are the wave of the past, Secure Digital (SD) cards are the wave of the future, though at the time of this writing only a couple of cameras support them. The mainimpetus behind the development of SD is the built - in encryption, which is inviting for the music and movie industries, since it will let them distribute copyrighted material digitally. For camera use, SD is simply too new for me to be able to say much about it, other than that it's currently a little slower than the fastest CF cards and the capacities are still lower than the largest CF cards. Both of these statements are subject to change. AU the recommendations for handling and using CF cards apply equally to SD. Formatting Camera Media Always format your camera media, whether CF card, microdrive, or SD card, in the camera in which it will be used! Your computer may appear to let you format the card while it's loaded in the card reader, but it's quite likely that it will either do so incorrectly or offer you a set of options from which it's easy to make the wrong choice. @& Formatting CF cards on Windows systems can, at least in theory, be -:. done correctly, but the only time I'd recommend doing so is ifyou've used ,k, software supplied by the card vendor to perform data recovery or diag- ! nostics and the software recommends formatting. Formatting CF cards under any flavor of the Mac OS is a recipe for disaster. Formatting cards in the camera in which they will be used is always safe and guarantees that the format will be the one your camera can use. [...]... 158 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS b Edit by presets If you've saved presets for Camera Raw- "Saving see Settings"in Chapter 3, Using CnrneraRaw,if youneed a refresher-you can apply them to selectedimagesby choosingApply Camera Raw Settings from the File Browser's Automate menu and then loading settings or settings subsets by choosing them from the Settings menu in the Apply Camera Raw. .. in Camera Raw, the others in the File Browser My advice is to set 'em and forget 'em, because it's extremely unlikely that you'll ever want to change them Just remember to check them in the event that you're forced to do a clean installation of either your OS or Photoshop, because either one may trash the preferences 146 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Camera Raw Preferences Openarawimage... yeslno flag or a more nuanced mnk.See Figure 5-6 150 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Figure 5 4 The cachedi a e mgs All imyes 8 0 1 20 David Stoecldein Verifying Images Asecond important reason why it's always a goodidea to wait until the File Browser has generated the previews before reformattingthecameramedia is that if Camera Raw has any problem reading the images, the problems will... typical tasks you performin the Fie Browser include renaming, sorting, flagging or ranking, applying rotation, entering keywords and IPTC metadata, and applying Camera Raw settings 152 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Working with the images The absolute order in which you perform tasks l i e selecting, sorting, renaming, keywording, and so on, isn't critical, so the order in which I'll... directory sle list Status message 148 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Even with several hundred images, the "Getting directoryfile list" message flashes by so quickly that if you blink, you may miss it The second message that appears is "Gettingfilenamethumbnail." and this one takes a little longer, since it's extractingthecamera-created thumbnailfrom the raw images see Figure 5-3 Figure 5-3... rename your raw images using some other scheme entirely For example, my friend and colleague Seth Resnick, who has put more sheer ingenuity into building bis worldlowthan anyone else 160 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS I know, uses a sophisticated naming scheme that, to the initiated, at least, conveys a great deal of information at a glance For example, he might rename a raw file called...142 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Tip: When Disaster Strikes Ifyou wind up with a card that's unreadable but contains data youwant to recover (it's rare, but it can be caused by doing things l i e pulling the card out of the reader without first ejecting it in software),do notformat it! Doing so will guarantee... requirement, but storage space is relatively inexpensive, time is expensive, and images are irreplaceable 144 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS What to archive Youshould archiveanythingyouwant yourself or someone else to be able to retrieve at some unspecified time in the future It's really that simple Don't confuse archives and backups Backups are usually automated, incremental copies that... choices, you need to use the Rank feature Ranking To rank images one by one using the large preview, first make sure that Show Rank is checked in the File Browser's View menu Then 156 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS select the first image and highlight its Rank field either by clicking in the Rank field or by pressing Option-Enter, and enter the desired rank To advance to the next thumbnail... the raw images, the faster the File Browser will build the cache Consider dedicating a partition on your fastest drive, the same size as your camera media, for downloading and caching your raw images Caching Multiple Folders Some cameras create subfolders on the camera media with 100 images in each If you use larger-capacity cards, you may have three or four image folders The fastest way to deal with . your OS or Photoshop, because either one may trash the preferences. 146 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Camera Raw Preferences. Openarawimage to launch CameraRaw. Make. selecting, sorting, applying metadata, and editing with Camera Raw. b You process the raw images to output files. 138 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS In this chapter, I'll look. the original document name. 134 Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS Using Batch. The Batch feature lets you process images with CameraRaw and, optionally, rename and save